Improved corn-husker



H. A. DOSTER. Crn Husker.

Patented Nov. 17, 1857.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN A. DOSTER, OF BETI-ILEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO IIIMSELF AND SMITH A. SKINNER.

IMPROVED CORN-HUSKER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 18,658, dated November 17, 1857.

.To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, HERMAN A. DOSTER, of Bethlehem, in the county of Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Husking Corn; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a Vertical section of my improvement, the plane of section,which is indicated by Fig. 2, bisecting the rollers transversely. Fig. 2 is also a Vertical section of the same, y y, Fig. 1, indicating the plane of section.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

My invention consists in the employment or use of two rollers placed one above the other.

in the same plane, the rollers being armed with teeth and grooved circumferentially, as will be hereinafter shown, whereby the ears of corn when placed in the angle or bte formed by the contact of the two rollers will have their husks stripped from them in a rapid and perfect manner, the husks being drawn through or between the rollers, the ears when fully stripped or denuded of their husks falling directly down from the bite or angle of the rollers without passing between them.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, I will proceed to descrbe it.

A represents a rectangular frame on the upper part of which two bars or posts a a are placed, said bars or posts being slightly inclined from a Vertical position, as shown clearly in Fig. 1, a bar or post being at each side of the frame. Between the lower parts of the two bars or posts a a a roller B is placed, and a corresponding roller C is placed directly above it, the peripheries of the two rollers being in contact. The shaft or axis of the lower roller works in fixed bearinge. The bearings of the upper roller, however, are allowed to yield or give, the, bearings being fitted in slots b in the bars or posts and having Springs c bearing upon them. In consequence of the bars or posts a abeing slightly inclined, the lower and upper rollers are not in a Vertical plane, and therefore the line of contactor bite of the rollers will bein a Vertical plane which passes between the two shafts or axes of the rollers. Each roller is grooved circumferentially, as shown at. d, Fig. 2, the grooves of one roller being in line with the centers of the spaces between the grooves of the other roller. These grooves are of V form. In each roller and precisely at the centers of the spaces between its grooves teeth e are driven or placed, said teeth forming concentric circles between the grooves. The teeth e of one roller are in line with the grooves (Z in the other roller, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, so that the teeth e pass into the grooves d as the rollers rotate and allow the peripheries of the rollers to be in contact with each other.

Motion is given the rollers in any proper manner, and the ears of corn D (shown in red, Fig. 1) are placed lengthwise, one at a time, in the angle between the two rollers B C. The rollers rotate in reverse directions, as indieated by the arrows, and the teeth e as the rollers rotate catch and loosen the husks from the ears and draw the husks into the bite of 'the rollers, by which the husks are stripped from the ear, the husks passing between the rollers and the denuded ears dropping down from the bite as they are divested of their integuments. I would remark that the ears may be presented to the rollers by hand, or any proper feeding device maybe employed. The rollers do not act upon the ears in any way, so as to subject them to any pressure, nor do they have a tendency to draw the ears between them, because the rollers B C are not sufiicien tly larger in diameter to form an angle of requisite capacity to produce such an effect.

I am aware that rollers have been employed for husking corn; but they have been corrugated or provided with projections or bars placed longitudinally upon them; but I am not aware that toothed and grooved rollers have been employed, constructed as herein shown, so that the teeth may serve to loosen the husks from the ears and draw them into the bite of the rollers, while the peripheries of the rollers, being in contact, may strip and thoroughly denude the ears.

In consequence of having the teeth and grooves arranged as shown an efficient and rapidly-working machine is obtained. The ears are stripped at once, because the teeth catch the husks as soon as the ears are presented to them, and as the lower roller projects rather at one side of the center of the upper one the ears may be properly presented to the rollers, the lower roller formingl in a measure a support for the ear while it is being aoted upon. The eorrugated rollershitherto employed do not act instantaneously; for they cannot eateh the husks at once,` 'but rather loosen them from the ear by abrasion or by a rubbing or bruising process. VThe draw or pull of the rollers is also much re-v duced in efficiency in consequenee of the corrugatons.

I do not claim the employment or use of rollers .for husking oorn rrespective of' the ar= 

